APPENDIX D

Procurement Options Appraisal– Design Phase

The first phase of the Schools for the Future project consists of work to three schools to facilitate an additional year group in each. The value of this work is estimated at £18.7M.

The option of procuring one design team under one large contract for all three schools was considered and although it was accepted that an economy of scale may be forthcoming, it was discounted for the following reasons:

  1. The scope of work at each school is different, as the buildings identified are based on a curriculum analysis for each site.
  2. The first three schools are all foundation schools where the governors own both the buildings and the land that the school is sited on.
  3. Each school site will have to remain safe and operational throughout the building and refurbishment work proposed and therefore the detailed specification and constraints for each school site are different.
  4. Each governing body wishes to be involved in the decision making process and retain an interest in the build pertaining to their site only. In particular they wish to play an active role in the appointment of their design team. This would more problematic and time consuming if all schools and the local authority were trying to reach agreement on one design team.
  5. With limited time available from school representatives it would not make good use of their time to take an active role in the proposals for the other sites.
  6. The value of the design fees for this work exceeds £1.5M and in the timeframe available was considered to be undeliverable by one consultant.
  7. Any delay on one design package could impact on the other two school sites. Any delay is therefore likely to impact on the cost of delivering the project.

It has therefore been decided to make three design team appointments, one for each school project.

Due to the value of each individual design team appointment an advertisement has been placed in the Oversees Journal of the European Union in compliance with Standing Orders and European Procurement Rules. The advertisement has been places as one advert with three lots contained within it. This allows the market to decide if they would like to apply for two packages but still allows the school their input into the choice of their appointment.

Design Consultant Selection

To enable a shortlist of design consultants to be compiled the selection criteria has been specified and this information has been made available as part of the OJEU package of information. A copy of these criteria is listed below:

No / Criteria / Factors to be taken into account
1 / Aesthetics of Build / To create a 21st century learning environment.
Visual impact will be linked to the existing surroundings.
Examples of proven projects to be submitted
References from previous clients to be taken up
2 / Quality of Build / Build to be fit for purpose
Cost benefit analysis
Whole life costing
Sustainability (BREEAM)
Build to current DfES standards as appropriate
3 / Environmental Impact / Minimise impact existing sites and surrounding developments.
Outline design to inform and be informed by the processes involving planning permission.
4 / Cost / Cost certainty to be proven prior to commencement of first phase of construction.
Budgets set per site to be adhered to.
Cost control throughout project to be maintained.
5 / Time / Change in age of transfer due Sept 2013 (at present)
Works to be completed on three sites of Poole Grammar, Poole High and Parkstone Grammar to be completed by September 2010. (Separate advertisement for each school)
Each site to have timeline independent of any other site
Time reports to be produced for each site
6 / Stakeholder Buy - In / Consultation with stakeholders, including staff and pupils on detailed design elements
Continued liaison with stakeholders throughout whole process
Design to be signed off by stakeholders and local authority
7 / Access / Safety for pedestrians, cyclists, road and maintenance traffic both on the public highway and in and around the school site.
Full compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 for all new works.
Safety of pupils in and around school site.
8 / Skills and experience / Knowledge and experience of design and construction in a live school environment
Proven track record in delivering to time, quality and budget
Knowledge of appropriate standards, both design and construction
  • Experience in the following areas:
  • Project Management
  • Partnership Working with stakeholders
  • Architectural Services relating to school buildings both traditional and modular build
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Structural Engineering
  • Site Investigation
  • Quantity Surveying
  • BREEAM and DQIs (Sustainability Agenda)
  • Innovation in Design (CABE)
  • Acoustics
  • Landscaping
  • Land Issues
  • CDM : Lead Designer and CDM Co-ordinator
Compilation of competitive tendering procedures using conditions of contract to reflect the Rethinking Construction Agenda.
Highway mitigation techniques to comply with planning permission conditions
9 / Flexibility in design / Ability to respond to future usage demands
Ability of spaces to be multi-use
Suiting of curriculum where possible
Design to current DfES standards as appropriate
10 / Permissions / Submissions for Planning Permissions and Building Regulations for each site affected.
Dealing with Utility companies
Negotiations with Highway Authority
11 / Structural Integrity / To relevant structural codes
12 / Design Life / Proven track record
Knowledge of standards for permanent and temporary construction.
Permanent construction to include free standing modular build
13 / Design Consultation / Interaction with staff and pupils
Knowledge of Design Quality Indicators
BREEAM assessments
14 / Community Use / To design the school to enable community usage wherever appropriate
15 / Health and Safety / Knowledge of CDM in particular in the role of lead designer and planning supervisor.
Proven track record of safety in construction
Early Contractor involvement
16 / Maintenance and
Operations / Choice of materials to take account of maintenance and durability.
Access for maintenance.
Maintenance manuals to be compiled and delivered to school
17 / Impact on delivery of curriculum / Understanding of Impact on staff and pupils during design and construction phase
Develop construction methods and programme to minimise impact and maximise co-operation with school staff
Safety of pupils and staff to be paramount
Fire access and egresses to be established
Regular liaison with school
Consultation with curriculum officer to facilitate compilation of construction programme
18 / Impact on highway users and public / Highway mitigation techniques to be approved by Highway Authority and implemented as specified
Traffic modelling techniques to be adopted where required
Knowledge of Chapter 8 of the Traffic Signs Manual for Health and Safety on the public highway.
19 / Flexible working arrangements / Knowledge and experience of flexible working methods. Some elements of design to be novated to contractor, some to remain with Client for traditional method of construction.
20 / Profile and Image of
Schools / Final product to enhance the learning experience for all pupils

Contract Selection

There are a number of procurement options available for works of this nature and these options are as follows:

Traditional Procurement Method

Design and Build

Novated Design and Build

Schools Direct Delivery

Partnering Contract

The option which is most likely to produce the best outcome for both the school and the Authority is for the schools buildings to be procured by combining establishedprocedures to best suit the type of building, its location in relation to the school and its impact of the working of the school site. As the school will have to operate in a safe manner that allows the curriculum to be delivered, it is important that the requirements for the build phase are specified and therefore a design team is to be appointed to take on the needs and constraints as specified.

The decisions relating to the method of procurement for the construction phase will be reviewed once the design process is underway. At this time another options appraisal will be compiled. During this time the following options will be appraised:

  • New buildings remote from the existing school buildings may be assigned on a novated design and build solution to allow for earlier contractor involvement, provided this will secure increased certainty over cost and time and more scope for innovation and creative design.
  • Modular build solutions to be procured from specialist suppliers as above.
  • Extensions to existing operational areas of the school will be procured using a traditional form of procurement provided this will secure a fuller design and higher specification when working in a way that will have a direct impact on the day to day operation of the school.
  • Refurbishment of existing schools areas will normally be undertaken using a traditional form of procurement to ensure high standards of work, and a greater degree of control over contractor’s movements and methods of working.

In addition to the different methods of procurement, there are also a number of different forms of standard contracts available at the present time.

The NEC standard forms of contract offer the new ways of working as highlighted by the Egan report under the Rethinking Construction Agenda and allow for partnership working in its widest sense to be adopted which is particularly important to ensure that the expectations of both the local authority and the school are met. For the design phase of the projects it is deemed appropriate to adopt the professional services contract under the NEC suite and require consultants to put together a multi-disciplinary team. This will allow consultants to pick their partners and will allow risk of any consultant’s non–performance to be carried by the lead consultant and not by the Client named in the contract.